FID – Chapter 990

Chapter 990: Anonymous Evidence Collection

“Your Highness, those words were nothing but the arrogant nonsense of Young Master Zhu! Please, Your Highness, see clearly. I, in my post in Cangzhou, have always been diligent, self-disciplined, and dutiful. I have never been negligent!”

Liu Yusheng gently settled the now-calmed Liu Ya to the side and, without any strong emotion, said, “The prefectural magistrate is supposed to be the governor of the prefecture, overseeing the yamen, yet how have the yamen guards here become private bodyguards? A mere unranked, unhonored official’s son can command them at will? Does Your Excellency truly know nothing of this?”

Sweat ran down Sang Ping’s back. “There are those within the yamen who deceive their superiors and conceal matters. It is a failure of my governance. In the future, I shall enforce strict discipline. I humbly request that Your Highnesses mete out punishment!”

“Deceit and concealment? So you, the governor, were entirely unaware of his actions? That we were brought into the yamen with such a commotion, and even in the back chambers, Your Excellency had no knowledge at all?”

“…I truly did not know!” Sang Ping grit his teeth, doing everything he could to appear ignorant, hoping to avoid being implicated.

Zhu Xian had genuinely offended the King—and this King was the King of Nanling! He couldn’t escape, and there was no way he could risk himself further for Zhu Xian’s sake!

“You claim ignorance when your own subordinates can be freely commanded, when the yamen is being treated as a private hall without your knowledge? Then what good are you as the governor? Are you merely here to collect the court salary?” Feng Qingbai’s lips curved in a cold smile, though it did not reach his eyes. “From what I see, Zhu Xian is more like the actual governor of Cangzhou than you are.”

Sang Ping’s face drained of color. All he could do was bow his head desperately. “I realize my crime, Your Highness! Have mercy!”

He had forgotten the character of the King. Attempting deception before him would only lead to a far worse fate!

Feng Qingbai glanced coldly at the kowtowing man, his eyes dark and unreadable.

It was not uncommon for local officials to act with impunity, but he had never encountered someone as brazen as Zhu Xian before. He was so openly arrogant. 

Normally, officials in a region formed a network, each connected to the other, so that tugging one thread affected the whole. If something went wrong locally, and they colluded to shield each other, deceived their superiors, or concealed the truth, even if the central court sent investigators, no outcome could be reached.

This time, he happened to intervene. Had he not, all of Cangzhou would have bowed to the Zhu family!

Turning his gaze toward the still-rowdy crowd outside, Feng Qingbai instructed Wei Zi, “Distribute paper and brushes. Anyone who has a grievance may write it down anonymously—collect evidence without revealing names.”

“Yes, Master!” Wei Zi obeyed. He drew paper and brushes from the trial desk and went to the inner hall entrance. “Everyone heard what His Highness said. It’s anonymous.  No one will bother you later. If you have a grievance, write it down and provide any evidence. Once finished, submit it all to His Highness.”

The commoners went wild. They didn’t expect things to develop like this!

They had suffered for so many years under the shadow of the prefect and the commandery administrator, believing they would never see justice in their lifetimes. Yet this day came unexpectedly!

Seeing the brushes, ink, and paper before them, some immediately burst into tears, hastily picking up the pens to write: “I, a humble citizen, was humiliated by Zhu Xian. My entire family sought justice at the yamen, only to be harshly tortured. Our family was destroyed! Even if my name is written, I must record this grievance. The officials’ inaction makes them no different from Zhu Xian. I beg the King to restore justice in Cangzhou!”

“Zhu Xian, son of the commandery administrator, has bullied and seized multiple shops from humble citizens, even sending men to beat our family! The local authorities protected him, leaving us with no recourse. Having endured so many years of humiliation, I must still lodge this complaint!”

“The prefect and the commandery administrator have colluded for over a decade, running Cangzhou rampant. We, the common people of Cangzhou, live each day in fear. We beg Your Highness to see the truth!”

Voices of righteous anger and weeping erupted in the outer hall, rising and falling like waves. In no time, Wei Zi held a thick stack of complaint papers, each one detailing the crimes of Zhu Xian, the prefect, and the commandery administrator.

Liu Yusheng watched the faces of grief and fury, silent in her heart.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. Those who commit repeated injustice are doomed to destruction. 

With so many people submitting grievances, the list of Zhu Xian’s crimes alone could condemn him ten times over; the prefect could not escape accountability either.

The still-absent commandery administrator could not evade justice either.

This time, the circle of power in Cangzhou was due for a complete reshuffle.

It was fortunate that they had happened to intervene. Otherwise, the truth about Cangzhou would never have reached the court, nor the ears of the emperor or Feng Qingbai.

Flipping through the papers one by one, Feng Qingbai looked at the now-voiceless Sang Ping. “Summon all Cangzhou officials, high and low. Have them wait here for the trial!”

“Right away, Your Highness!” Sang Ping stammered as he issued the order, his face ashen.

His career was utterly finished this time.

While waiting for the other officials to arrive, not a single citizen left the outer hall; instead, more and more people gathered.

News that the King was personally judging the Cangzhou officials had spread, and almost the entire city’s populace surged toward the government office, blocking the street so tightly that no water could pass through.

Even though it was still raining, the downpour did nothing to dampen the citizens’ overflowing excitement and anticipation.

The summoned officials had to squeeze their way into the inner hall, and by the time they could finally stand, they were completely disheveled.

The first thing everyone saw upon entering was the Cangzhou heir, Zhu Xian, lying on the ground, humiliated and pale as death, followed by the prefect Sang Ping who looked utterly lost and defeated.

Just one glance made the hearts of all the officials sink.

After bowing to the King and his consort, they all stood stiffly to the side, not daring to speak.

Only the Cangzhou commandery administrator, Zhu Hu, had yet to appear.

Time passed bit by bit, and the citizens waiting in the outer hall began to grow restless, buzzing with speculation: why was the commandery administrator still not showing up? Had he already realized the outcome for himself and used this chance to escape?

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the edge of the crowd: “Cangzhou Commandery Administrator, criminal Zhu Hu, failed to discipline his son, allowing him to wreak havoc upon the region without realizing it. I am ashamed before the court and before the people of Cangzhou. Today I kneel thrice and kowtow once, to confess my sins to the world!” 

The citizens glanced backward and saw Zhu Hu, the Commandery Administrator of Cangzhou, holding his official hat, tears streaming down his face, genuinely kneeling and kowtowing from the outside all the way in.

The crowd automatically parted to make a path, yet the gazes falling on Zhu Hu were not filled with pity or sympathy—only hatred.

Watching Zhu Hu make his slow, kneeling procession through the crowd, Liu Yusheng immediately understood why he had been so late.

Apparently, he had heard that Zhu Xian had fallen into the King’s hands and had gone off to figure out how to lessen his own responsibility.

And after thinking it over, he came up with this trick? Three kneels and one kowtow, loudly declaring his confession to the world, all while implying that he had been completely unaware of his son’s misdeeds?

Cleanly absolving himself—when disaster strikes, this father proved utterly unreliable.

Liu Yusheng’s eyes flicked to Zhu Xian, still lying on the ground, unable to move. A trace of ridicule glimmered in her gaze. He had always relied on his father’s official authority to swagger in Cangzhou, yet when real trouble came, the first to distance himself and save only his own skin was his father. She wondered how he must feel now.